Listening to the shrill screams, Si Junlin's eyes showed a glint of understanding and a tinge of remorse.
Back then, Su Wan'er seemed to have had a quarrel with Concubine Xi. Wasn't it either he or the Empress Dowager who stepped in to suppress the matter?
He never expected that the gentle Concubine Xi in front of him would show such an ugly side behind his back.
Now that he thought about it, he was truly stupid! He actually believed Concubine Xi's lies, sided with her, and wronged the Empress.
He always thought that everything he did was fair, just, and in accordance with the law. He never thought that he couldn't even manage his own harem properly.
When Concubine Xi heard that the Empress Dowager was coming, without a second thought, she directly fell to the ground, covering her face with one hand, looking aggrieved. Her actions were so practiced that it was obvious she had done this many times.
Si Junlin had witnessed the changeable nature of women. With Concubine Xi's speed of changing expressions, she could definitely perform the face - changing in Sichuan Opera.
"Su Wan'er! What are you doing?" As soon as the Empress Dowager entered and saw the well - staged scene of Concubine Xi, she immediately got angry.
Everyone knew that the Emperor doted on Concubine Mei, while the Empress Dowager favored this distant niece the most.
The palace servants passing by in the distance already knew who would win when they saw the Empress Dowager appear. In fact, they were already used to this outcome.
Seeing the nonchalant expressions of the palace servants, Si Junlin felt an intense pain in his heart.
How much tolerance must Su Wan'er have to endure these so - called "fair" incidents again and again?
Even Si Junlin himself felt that he couldn't be as patient as Su Wan'er.
"Your Majesty, this matter is not... what I did. It was Concubine Xi who deliberately pretended," Si Junlin said seriously.
However, the Empress Dowager didn't buy it. What she cared most about was Concubine Xi's face. After checking Concubine Xi's face and confirming that it was okay, she then turned to Si Junlin, who had been standing there for a while after speaking: "Su Wan'er, you really have a cruel method. You even target the faces of the concubines. Do you think that if the faces of all the concubines are ruined, you can sit firmly on the position of the Empress?"
Si Junlin looked at the Empress Dowager, who didn't seem to hear his words at all and was now accusing him without reason. His heart turned cold. Was this the so - called fairness of the Empress Dowager? Was this the situation that the Empress in his harem was facing?
"Your Majesty, some things cannot be judged only by appearance. You were once the Empress. Don't you know the hardships of being the Empress? Your way of handling things is not appropriate, isn't it?" He spoke to the Empress Dowager in his original tone, which showed that he was angry because of the Empress Dowager's biased judgment.
However, he was not the Emperor now but the Empress.
The Empress Dowager had always disliked the Empress. His straightforward words sounded like a blatant provocation to the Empress Dowager.
Concubine Xi hid behind the Empress Dowager, with a mocking expression on her face, as if sneering at his "stupidity".
"Good for you, Su Wan'er. You dare to talk back to me? I think your days as the Empress are numbered." The Empress Dowager waved her hand: "Come! The Empress has a vicious mind and is not fit to be the mother of the nation. Send her to the Cold Palace for further deliberation."
"Your Majesty, I don't think Sister Empress did it on purpose. I'll just not come to Sister Empress's palace in the future," Concubine Xi suddenly stepped forward aggrievedly and pleaded with the Empress Dowager.
Si Junlin was still wondering why Concubine Xi would plead for him, but the Empress Dowager's next words made him instantly understand how scheming Concubine Xi was.
The Empress Dowager already felt sorry for Concubine Xi's face. Now seeing Concubine Xi's pitiful appearance, she felt even more pity for Concubine Xi and more disgust for Si Junlin.
"This is not your fault. The Forbidden City belongs to the Emperor. What right does she have to stop you from coming to this courtyard? You are not wrong. The wrong one is her. Since she doesn't want to be disturbed, send her to the Cold Palace to enjoy the tranquility of the rest of her life."
Su Wan'er, sitting on the dragon throne, suddenly shivered for no reason and then sneezed. A strange feeling welled up from the bottom of her heart.
"Stop!" Since there was nothing wrong with her here, something must have happened to Si Junlin.
Su Wan'er stopped the minister who was about to report something: "Grand Secretary Lan, please submit a memorial about what you've said. I have some other matters to attend to, so I'll adjourn the court for now."
After saying that, without waiting for Fang Xi to announce the adjournment, she rushed towards the Empress's palace.
"Where is the Empress?" When she arrived at the familiar palace but didn't see the person she was looking for, she grabbed a cleaning maid beside her and asked.
The maid was flattered to see the Emperor. At the same time, she bowed to Su Wan'er and answered her question: "This slave has seen the Emperor. The former Empress was ordered by the Empress Dowager to be sent to the Cold Palace because she offended the Empress Dowager and injured Concubine Xi's face. She is waiting for Your Majesty's decision."
The maid looked up at Su Wan'er, whose brows were tightly knitted, and said again: "The Empress Dowager said that if Your Majesty comes back, please go to the Shou'an Palace. She said she wants to discuss the matter of deposing the Empress with you."
Before the maid could finish speaking, Su Wan'er turned around and rushed towards the Shou'an Palace.
Poor Fang Xi and a group of attendants. They had just rushed to the Empress's palace and now had to chase after Su Wan'er to the Empress Dowager's palace.
"Your Majesty!" Su Wan'er stormed into the Empress Dowager's palace. At this moment, the Empress Dowager was lying on the couch, enjoying the service of the palace servants.
Seeing the Empress Dowager's leisurely appearance, Su Wan'er immediately got angry.
She never expected that the Empress Dowager would deal with Si Junlin like this. It was simply unreasonable.
Hearing her shout, the Empress Dowager turned around and saw the angry "Si Junlin". A look of helplessness flashed in her eyes. Then she asked a maid beside her to arrange a seat for Su Wan'er.
"Lin'er, why did you come back so early today?" the Empress Dowager asked puzzledly.
Su Wan'er came back earlier than usual this time. It wasn't just a quarter or two earlier but a full half of the usual time, which was completely out of character for her.
Su Wan'er gave the Empress Dowager a cold look: "I heard that you sent the Empress to the Cold Palace?" She used to respect the Empress Dowager, but today's incident made her feel that the Empress Dowager didn't like her at all in her heart. No matter how hard she tried, the Empress Dowager would never like her.
Even in the Empress Dowager's heart, there might already be a candidate for the new Empress.
"Yes," the Empress Dowager admitted straightforwardly. "That woman has no sense of propriety and has a vicious heart. She is not the best candidate to be the mother of the nation. I'll make the decision for you and send her to the Cold Palace. All you need to do now is draft an imperial edict to depose the Empress."